CONCLUSION
 

Dr John Sung died on August 18th, 1944 one year before the conclusion of the Second World War. When news of his passing began to spread to Nanyang, to us who live in Southeast Asia. we who are his disciples gathered lovingly to commemorate one who had shown us the Way of Life Everlasting and totally changed our view of life, so that those who gave up a selfish worldly ambition numbered literally by the thousands - out of several hundred thousand turned to Christ in repentance.

In remembering him further a commemorative stone tablet is laid in the hallway of the new wing of Chin Lien Bible Seminary, Singapore which briefly tells the story of God's servant.

At another sanctuary of Cud's House, viz., Calvary Bible-Presbyterian Church, Pandan Gardens, Singapore, John Sung is remembered by the sign. "John Sung Memorial Chapel," written over its entrance.

But a Greater monument (and a living one) than the stone tablet are the books written on the life and work of John Sung, according to Hebrews 13:7, which says, "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation (way of life)." The standard work in English is by Leslie T. Lyall and in Chinese by Liu Yih Ling. William E. Schubert, missionary friend of John Sung, came out with a booklet, "I Remember John Sung" which was entrusted to this author for publication in 1976. What need is there for the addition of this book to the above three, and to a host of articles published in various magazines both Chinese and English'?

The writing of this book was never planned nor dreamed of. It all arose so suddenly in October 1984 from a question put to this writer by his doctor brother over the phone: "Do you know that 1945 will be the Golden Jubilee, the 50th year of John Sung's coming to Singapore? There should be a good programme planned to commemorate that great event." To which came this spontaneous reply. "As for me. I must write a book to retell the story of his life." The prompting must have come from the Lord!

But there is another reason why I must write this book. If William E. Schubert says John Sung was his teacher, and he had "learned more from Dr Sung in three weeks than he learned in three years in theological seminary," then I can say the more. For truly I was a pupil of the great doctor, having been born again under his preaching and moved to offer myself for fulltime service. and have practically sat through all his sermons and Bible lessons in his four or five campaigns held in Singapore, 1935-1939. Moreover I have researched into his life when writing the Story of Lint Puay Hian his disciple titled In John Sung's Steps" and further translated forty of his hundreds of sermons in Chinese, and have been in touch with his movements through Miss Leona Wu until the outbreak of the Second World War.

Having studied theology in a Seminary in America so that every recollection of what Dr Sung had said and done can now be seen in sharper focus, I can say with Schubert there are many deep things I've learned from Dr John Sung what my Seminary professors could never have imparted. In order to share what I have learned from my teacher I have tried my level best to present John Sung to you in as accurate an image as possible, quoting pertinent Scriptures that apply.

Surely the unsaved Reader, though Christian in name, must come face to face with the Savior after reading this book. Now that you ore born again, young Reader, what is it but that you also, in John Sung's steps, present your body a living sacrifice to serve the Lord fulltime?

Having sat under his preaching and teaching for literally several hundred hours. I have learnt some good music and homiletics from him which cannot be imparted here except as you will join our homiletics class at Far Eastern Bible College!

The greatest lesson is not the academic. but as Dr Sung has stressed, that which comes from God. infusing new life and new devotion in every sincere servant of God. Character and morality are prerequisites to Christian service far great­er than knowledge learned from books. While we do not discount the great works of spiritual men, both commentar­ies and treatises, John Sung has taught us to read the Bible much more than we ever will. As to character we have not only his warning against money, sex, and self-will, but he was a paragon of meticulous holiness, selflessness and obedience.

Nowadays, ministers of the Gospel are becoming more and more professional, measuring themselves in dollars and cents, so much so it is observed by the congregation that as far as so and so is concerned it is with this calculation: "More pay, more preach. No pay, no preach." In the case of Dr Sung, we see that wherever he went he never wasted a minute in service. For example. when he had to wait five days in Hong Kong for a boat to Indo-China, he summoned the Evangelistic League there to convene, at little notice, a five-day campaign. Between sermons (there were three times two hours a day in Singapore) he would still spend time with those that mourned for their sins to counsel and to heal. He would belabor himself to pray over the photos of hundreds who wrote him seeking further help.

Leslie T. Lyall in his latest book," God Reigns in China" published by OMF says, "When Communism triumphed in 1949 the Protestant Church numbered fewer than one million communicant members…. Today, the number of professing Christians is claimed to have reached a staggering 50 million." "Christianity in China, perhaps more than in any other nation." avers Lyall, "has constantly been under attack. And yet the Chinese Church has not only survived but flourished…. Where did it all begin, and how was the life maintained through the years of torture and persecu­tion?"

This question can be answered from various angles, but William E. Schubert's statement on over 100,000 converts won by John Sung between 1933 and 1936, preparing many for the coming (communist) persecutions is relevant. And he further states, "Persecution always brings revival" or, as it has been quoted earlier in this book that "the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church," we are assured that the gates of bell shall not prevail against the Church of Jesus Christ. Yet there must be the living bodies of the martyrs before blood could be shed. In other words the countless numbers of truly born again Christians that had multiplied by leaps and bounds through John Sung's ministry as contributing to the growth from one million to 50 million cannot he ignored. Not only the seed of new life in these John Sung converts, but also the seed of the everlasting Word of God so richly implanted in them as attested by three Bible Institutes held in China, at which thousands from every province in China save one attended. The constant Bible studies he held wherever any Church had been revitalized added many more thousands implanted with God's Word who must have been used to bring forth new crops of believers through the years of torture and persecu­tion under Mao.

One message that Dr Sung never failed to preach and teach was the Second Coming of Christ. He testified that when the Lord called him in Room 415 in Union Seminary He changed his name to John. He realized he was not the only herald but only one of many for these end-times before He comes. What do you say my Reader as you consider the ominous times in which you live? What are your fond ambitions as you struggle through an evil age with multi­nuclear mushroom clouds looming ahead? Death to multi­millions may he unleashed any time over this shrinking globe. "For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" If by quoting this golden verse that turned John Sung from a scientist to a preacher so that it will change your attitude towards this empty life, the writing of this book on John Sung My Teacher will not have been made in vain. Amen.